I am saddened by Suchitra Sen's death: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee mourned the death of iconic and enigmatic Bengali actress Suchitra Sen who died at a hospital in Kolkata on Friday.

"Her beauty and personality had made her hold an outstanding position in the world of Bengali cinema," Bhattacharjee said in a statement.

"She was at the centre of attraction for a long period because of her natural acting talent. I am deeply saddened by her death," the former West Bengal Chief Minister said.

Curtains came down on an era in Bengali cinema as the iconic and enigmatic Bengali actress Suchitra Sen, who remained away from public life for nearly three and half decades, died on Friday in a Kolkata hospital. She was 83.

After a gun salute, she was cremated at the Keoratala burning ground on a sandalwood pyre in the presence of her daughter Moonmoon Sen, grand daughters Raima and Riya Sen, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and some noted film personalities like actors Prosenjit and Dev.

Daughter Moonmoon Sen lit the pyre at around 1-45 pm.

Sen, whom almost none had seen for decades after she retired from films in 1978, was admitted to Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata with respiratory tract infection on Dec 24.

Suchitra Sen, who had acted in several Bollywood movies too opposite actors like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Sanjeev Kumar, had regaled Bengali audience for decades with his romantic pairing with Uttam Kumar.

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972. She had reportedly refused India's highest film award Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005, since accepting the award would have meant appearing in public to collect it.

Suchitra Sen's daughter Moonmoon Sen and her grand daughters Raima and Riya are all actors.

Born in Pabna in Bangladesh on April 6, 1931 in undivided India, Suchitra Sen was Rama Dasgupta and after marriage Rama Sen. After joining films she was given the screen name Suchitra Sen.

The Garbosque life of more than three decades and half has only mystified the aura around Suchitra Sen. As the screen goddess of Bengali cinema whom India remembers for her Bollywood roles in films like Devdas, Bombai ka Babu and Aandhi had begun her career in 1953 with the film Saat Number Kayedi though another film in which she acted in 1952 was never released.

Bengali film audience will always remember her for many roles with Uttam Kumar including in films like Saptapadi, Sagarika and Pathe Holo Deri.